Thursday, August 04, 2005

ENFC Reunion!

I hate Rick Rizzs more and more with each passing game, but today he crossed the line.

Reviewing the Mariners' lineup for the momentous King Felix debut, Rizzs chose to emphasize the youngster's age--on the face of it, perfectly reasonable. But that meant that to introduce the King, Rizzs invoked the evil name of Edwin Nunez, who remains the youngest pitcher ever to make his major league debut in a Mariners' uniform.

As self-appointed president in the 1980s of the Edwin Nunez Fan Club, I must impress on Rizzs, and all listeners out there, just how horrific that invocation is. Nunez is one of my worst memories from the miserable 1980s-vintage Mariners. I went to many games, and saw more on TV, where Nunez demonstrated that he had absolutely no idea where the ball was going when it left his hand. Indeed, I once saw him thrown out of a ballgame by an umpire, essentially for wildness. I made it my goal in life to boo Nunez lustily every time he set foot on the field. (I had limited ambition then...now I've raised my aspirations to, uh, write for a little-read blog...).

Now, if you never actually watched Evil Edwin, and just look at his stats, he doesn't seem all that scary. But if you had to suffer through him on the mound for the Ms, you will agree that mentioning his name in the same sentence with Felix Hernandez is courting disaster.

Edit--now it's zero outs into the first inning, and sure enough, King Felix has given up 2 singles and 2 walks, has the bases loaded, nobody out, and one run in. Rick Rizzs, it's your fault, BUDDY.